In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of preaching the Word of God and the power it holds. He highlights that the surroundings are not as significant as the message itself, which is propelled by the Spirit of God. The preacher also emphasizes the need for believers to hear and know the voice of the shepherd, which is done through reading and understanding the Word of God. He references the well-known verse, "The Lord is my shepherd," and emphasizes the significance of starting at Calvary and having access to God through Jesus Christ. The sermon concludes by emphasizing the book of Psalms as a book of devotion.

We'll have a little discussion. I got an advantage, I'm sure. Could we turn this morning, beloved, to the 23rd Psalm, which we said we'd like to consider a little bit as the Lord gives us time. We won't speak like Paul did till midnight, so take heart. Our brother Wilson will follow me and we'll have a little, I understand, a little break of psalm in between. What psalm is this? Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in need. He maketh me to lie down in pastures of tender grass. He guideth me beside the waters of stillness. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, and though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod of correction and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine adversaries. Thou anointest my head with water. My cup runneth over. Holy goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Now, we want to just give a quick overview of what's before us in the book of Psalms. We have, it's a book of devotion. It's praise through prayer. And it's divided into five groups. In the first group, through 1-41, that's mainly Davidic, written primarily by David, under the Holy Spirit's function. And that would suggest to us Genesis, or it's about man. And the second group is in the 42nd chapter to the 72nd chapter, and that's again mainly Davidic. And that would speak to us of the Exodus, about deliverance. And the third group would be the 73rd chapter to the 89th chapter, and that's mainly written by Asaph. And that would correspond to Leviticus, upon the sanctuary. And the fourth group is the 90th Psalm to the 106th Psalm, and that's mainly anonymous. We don't know who wrote those, primarily. And that would correspond to numbers, or the wandering sheep. And the fifth group is the 107th Psalm to the last Psalm, the 150th, partly Davidic, partly anonymous. And that would correspond to Deuteronomy, or the word of the Lord. We end up with praise there, of course. Now here in the Song of the Valley, we have the lines between the two. On the one hand we have Mount Calvary, Psalm 22. And on the other hand we have Mount Zion, Psalm 24. And in between we have that lovely Psalm, the 23rd Psalm. So would it not suggest to us a good beginning and a good ending? Beloved, if we're to begin, we have to begin at Calvary. That's where we have to begin. That's where we approach our God. And that's where we have access to God. Because He came down, and He made access available to us, to our Great High Priest, our Advocate to the Father, even Jesus Christ the Righteous. And so we come to this precious Psalm in between. It's a flood tide in between the two points of Galatia. It's the bridge between Calvary and the world. There was a little girl that was trying to memorize the first sentence of this psalm, and she couldn't get it quite right. And she would always say, the Lord is my shepherd, and that is all that I want. And isn't that just what we need? All that we want. You know, my life's birth, my desire, has been and is Philippians 3 and 10. And perhaps you can learn that little course before we are done with our session. That I might know Him, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable to His death. And that should be our object and our desire. It's not an easy thing, because the Lord has to make us what He wants us to be, and He will. For He promises, I will perfect, or I will complete, that which I began. And isn't that wonderful? When the Lord Jesus Christ presents us to God the Father, He's going to present us in absolute perfection. Without spot and without wrinkle. What He wants us to be, and what He has made us. And in order to come to that, we must go through the 23rd Psalm. We must. And it's so full, and it causes us, does it not, to cry out in the words of the little course, I have Christ, what want I more? What more can we want? What more can we need? And what more can we have than a good shepherd, a great shepherd, and a cheap shepherd? And now we're learning Him as a great shepherd. He's proved to us He's a good shepherd. For the good shepherd gave His life for the sheep. Now this psalm is perhaps the best known portion of God's Word. We learned it back in the days when there was some moral fiber to our nation in school. In kindergarten, the first thing we were taught, in the morning we started out, and that was the first thing you learned. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And it's a wonderful thing to teach children, but it's more wonderful to bring them to the person who is a good shepherd, isn't it? But we don't have that anymore, and it's forbidden. Unfortunate. But we start out at our very youth, and we learn that psalm, and we can quote it so quickly and so readily, it's probably the most familiar portion of God's Word there is. When it was written, we're not really sure. However, it does have the freshness of the shepherd boy's heart, doesn't it? It was written by a shepherd, but here He doesn't speak as a shepherd, He speaks as one of the sheep. It's a personal psalm. For the pronoun me occurs seven times, the number of completeness. It's the complete need of the sheep, and the complete supply of the shepherd. The good shepherd who knows our every need. It's been called by another, the fairest flower in the garden of God, and the nightingale of the psalms. Now, Psalm 23 has been in use for around 3,000 years, but is it not still as fresh today as it was when David wrote it by the Spirit of God? Oh, it's just as precious, it's just as real, and it's just as vibrant and vital today to every believer as it was when David penned it under the direction of the Spirit of God. We have a prophet, priest, and king presented, all, and they're all sung in the lights. It's been sung in the castle, it's been sung in the palace, because that's what it is. It's been sung in the little humble cabins, and it's in use time and time again. Is it not the psalm of the sick moon? How many times when we go to see one of God's dear beloved people laying on their back that we take that blessed, precious portion and seek to bring it home to bear in their knees to know that the Lord is, present tense, my shepherd. Oh, that brings such peace and calm and repose, and probably no portion of Scripture has derived more tears than the 23rd Psalm. Now, Psalm 22, 23, and 24 link together, as we said, so nicely. We see the Lord Jesus in His different characters, the different aspects of His characters, and we start out at Calvary, the beginning, and we end up in glory with the chief shepherds. As we mentioned, He's pictured as the good shepherd in Psalm 22, the great shepherd in Psalm 23, and the chief shepherd in Psalm 24. Some of the other examples of this that we find in the 22nd Psalm are as follows. In Psalm 22 we have Christ dying that we might live. Christ dying that we might live. Who is Christ? He's the sent one of God. He anointed us God, and He was sent to die. We need to realize that, for He said, Is a servant any better than his master? And the Lord Jesus Christ, though He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, not something to be grasped at, He made Himself of no reputation. He took upon Himself the fulness of servants, and beyond that He went that other step. He died. And He went a step beyond that. He became sin. He who knew no sin. You know, I go to the jails, and it's repulsive to see sin in the lives of men. We're not allowed into the women's apartment. We see them in groups apart, but the women visit them. But to see the effect of sin in lives, and the need to cage men like animals, because of sin. When I go in there and I hear those big steel doors clank behind me, it gives me the chill. It really does. I never get used to it. But the Scripture says He would let you in prison and in judgment, and fall from judgment, and then crucify. For the criminals, yeah, just as much for me, as for that worst of criminals. He was made a criminal. He wasn't a criminal. Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful shepherd we have. Christ dying, that I might live, that you might live. Not to live to self, not to live in the flesh, but to live in the power of God, in eternal life. Unto eternal life. And then we go to the 23rd Psalm, and we find Christ living, that we might live. You remember He said, because I live, ye shall live also. You see our life, is He in Christ in God. And our life is so dependent upon His living. If we didn't have a living shepherd, we couldn't live. We couldn't have eternal life. But because He lives, we live too. Not only so, but because He's entered in, we enter in also. Oh, we have a living Savior. We have a man in the glory, and He bears the Prince in His hands and His feet, and His side. Oh, thank God for the man in the glory. We have a living shepherd. And the 24th Psalm, we find Christ coming for us, that we might live together. We've just been enjoying having the tremendous fellowship together as a family of God. And there's nothing like it, is there? There is nothing like it! The world can look on, and they can mimic it, but they can't experience it. Why? Because they don't have a living Savior, who lives in us, by the mighty Spirit of God. Oh, what a blessing we have. But that's only the beginning. He's coming back, my love. He's coming back. And we're going to live with Him, our living, exalted Savior, and more. And we're going to live with Him for all eternity. What is it going to be to see Him? Face to face. Those two on Emmaus Road, just got a glimpse. And even while they were talking, and while He was talking to them, and expounding from the Scriptures and from the Psalms, the thing is concerning Himself. What happened? Their hearts burned within them. What is it going to be to look face to face at our Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, what is that going to be? That's why Paul said, We look unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame. And he said, Because we have a living Christ, that we might live. Not in that day, but that we might live now. Right now. We have eternal life now. We have everlasting life now. It's not something we're going to possess. We are possessors. We're in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to live that way of all of us. We need to live that way. And if we live that way, what's going to be the result? By this shall all men know that you love me, that you love the Father. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Because you love the brethren. And because you love the brethren, you'll love me. And the people will see this love. And they'll love me. It's pretty easy to love some brethren. And then there's brethren like myself, we have an awful time. You have to really work at it. But just think of it. When you love me, that really proves you love the Lord. So, we have the joy of loving one another. And if we could just learn that. To love one another. And to remember that when we find that which is difficult and hard to accept in another, when we accept it, it's the God's glory. When we disparage it, who are we disparaging? Who are we disparaging? Not ourselves. We're disparaging the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who lives within us. And so, we live because we have Christ living in us. And we're going to live together now and with Him for all eternity. And then again, in the 22nd Psalm, we have Christ appearing to put away sin by the sacrifice of His Son. The wonder of that, do we realize that? Do we realize? You know, we've been hearing a little bit of the trials and the testings and the difficulties that our brother Wilson and many other older missionaries faced when they went out to the field. And it stirs your heart. You can't help but do that. It shows the love of God in action, doesn't it? Think of the love of God. He didn't leave the United States. He didn't leave Britain. He left heaven's door. No, He didn't. He didn't leave His glory. Let's make that clear. He veiled it from view. But He always had that glory. It was His and His by right. He is glory. But He left it. And He came to this scene for you and me. And that's what we have in the 22nd Psalm. The cry of the Savior's heart to His Father. My God, my God. Why hast Thou forsaken me? Why art Thou so far from the words of my roaring? I cry unto Thee, Satan. And Thou hear'st me cry. O Beloved, what was it for the Christ of God to cry those words and Thou hearest me cry? In those dark hours when God dealt with sin in His beloved Son, in my place condemned I was. But we thank Thee, O Lord, that we have that word of God. He heard him from the horns of the unicorn. And He answered, saying, shall see the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Think of the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He looks at His church in all its disarray and He sees what is in Him and His soul is satisfied. Yea, glorified. Oh, what grace. What a wonderful, wonderful warning we have. And if we can keep that in mind we'll run the race and that's the object of our gathering, isn't it? To remind ourselves of the race that's got to be done and it's got to be run and it's got to be finished. And then we find again in the 23rd Psalm Christ appearing in the presence of God for us. Oh, thank God for our advocates. Thank God for our high priest. After the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is not seen as seated. Melchizedek is standing. Melchizedek is still the aspect of His work that's not finished on our behalf. And how wonderful to know what peace it brings to our hearts to know that He's working on our behalf even this very moment. How good is the God we adore. And then again in the 24th Psalm Christ appearing the second time without sin unto salvation. And now I'd like to turn over if you would to Hebrews chapter 9 just to refresh our memories. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 24. In Hebrews chapter 4 9 and verse 24 we read this But Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the corresponding figures of the truth but into heaven itself now to be manifested in the presence of God for us. Not nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters into the holy place yearly with blood of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the earth. But now once in the end of the age hath he appeared to put away sin through the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men and we might just often mention there it is appointed beloved there's an appointed time for you and I to leave this scene. Maybe if I scoot over here I can get away from the sun. There's an appointed time for everything in our life and remember we have the man in the glory who is controlling our lives as we use in him. And nothing is going to come in that is not by his permissive will or his appointed will. And it's wonderful to know that we're not going to go until he calls unless we just take our leave. Isn't that wonderful? He's given us a lot of time. It is appointed unto man once to die. And at this point I would like to say again if there is one single individual here and in your heart of hearts you either have never made a profession of faith and trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ or you're unsure you're a churchgoer you even read your Bible you even pray but you're not sure positively without doubt that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ please stop and consider that now. He was wounded for your transgression he was bruised for your iniquity and the chastisement of your peace is upon him and with his stripes you are healed. Just put your name in there. The Lord Jesus Christ God's Son who is life I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me has given his life that you might have right to have it more abundantly but you are only going to have it when you realize that you're a dead person dead in trespasses and sin that you're a sinner and the wages of sin is death can you deny that? You've got cemeteries all over the place haven't you? It's evidence that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is cross and fence is eternal life whom that cometh unto me though he were dead yet shall he live and all dearly beloved he says cometh unto me all ye that labor and that applies to us too in the heavy laden and I may give you rest? No or in the future I'll give you rest? No I will I will give you rest present tense I will give you rest the peace of God that passes understanding and so we find that we have a great high priest and so he was Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second kind without sin unto salvation the first time he came he became sin the next time he comes he's going to come with us beloved and he's going to come in all his glory and power and might and dominion and he's going to share that with us isn't that amazing he lives for us now and he's coming for us that we might live with him now we go on and we find that the psalm before us encourages us with the final words I shall dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life what a promise huh you know it doesn't matter how nice a home we have here in this scene you wouldn't want to dwell in it the rest of your life which forever and ever and ever I wouldn't man we got aches and pains and groans and moans and all the rest of it and who in the world wants to remain in that and we were reminded by Brother Wilson last night at the table I hath not seen nor heard neither hath it entered into the heart of men the things that God hath prepared for those that love isn't that wonderful isn't that wonderful he's going to prepare a place now we come right down to the psalm itself the Lord is my shepherd the very first word the Lord but who is the Lord what is his character does he have adequate credentials to be my shepherd my manager my owner does he have you ever considered that does he really have adequate credentials to be Lord well we'll look into that and if he does how do I come under his control in what way do I become the object of his concern indulgent care now David the shepherd himself is the very one who calls the shepherd he was the shepherd king and he's the very one that stated very emphatically the Lord is my shepherd now he is my shepherd who did he refer to when he said that who did David refer to it was before the cross it was under different circumstances you remember David prayed take not thy Holy Spirit from me we don't have to pray that prayer today he referred to Jehovah the Lord God of Israel who is Jehovah well Lord we hope to look into that maybe in a later session we can recall very vividly the words in John chapter 10 he says I am the good shepherd the Lord Jesus said that I am the good shepherd the good shepherd giveth his wife for the sheep my sheep know me they know my voice and they follow me so he declared emphatically himself that he was the good shepherd and he proved he was the good shepherd and he proved he is the great shepherd he's proving it daily in our lives isn't he now let's look a little bit and get a clearer picture of the particular part played by God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit you see the whole Godhead is involved in this when you say Jehovah he that was he that is he that is to come he's the eternal one who had no beginning and no end he is the great I am I am that I am he's the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end that's our good shepherd now God the Father is the author it was in his mind that all this took place for God so loved the world that he gave God the Father planned it those of us that are parents those of us that are fathers those of us that are mothers we can enter into that a little bit gently just think sitting down and planning the only means cause it had to be the only means cause that was what was used and God the Father would have used something else if there was some other means but there was no other means without the shedding of blood there was no remission of sin and the only blood that was sufficient was the spotless blood and God the Father in deliberation planned Calvary he planned Calvary I gotta watch my time what am I supposed to be doing I should be carried away when did I get up here does anybody know John what time did I get up where are you what time did I get up here do you know what time it was you don't oh boy this is good brother they are not watching the time we got it made hold that did you notice what time it was when I got up here I didn't either God taught me sort of unexpected things so I didn't look we'll have to hurry well God the Father is the author and we could dwell on that for a good deal but suffice to say that God's love was so great knowing beloved not only that we were sinners of the deepest died lost and separated from God not of the commonwealth of Israel but he knew when he sent sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins he knew when we came through the Lord Jesus Christ what we were going to be that's amazing and he still when he knew what an unfaithful servant I would be he still sent his beloved son to die for me because he looked beyond what I am and he looked to what he was going to make me for his glory and make you for his glory that's a wonderful author isn't it the author of eternal life so God the Father was the author God the Son our savior is the artesian if you will he's the artist he's the creator of all that exists he spoke and it was pride to be and he keeps everything in control in the heavens today and we know he's the artist we look out there as the leaves change their color and no artist can capture the beauty of just that one thing impossible oh he's the artist of all that exists the creator of all that exists including you and I now God the Holy Spirit is the agent who presents all these facts to both my mind and my spiritual understanding I'm sure you have and I have sat under the sound of the voice of highly educated men that profess to be theologians of the first water and as you listen to them it doesn't take long to perceive that they know all about the Bible they know all about the author but they miss one thing they don't know the author and therefore they can't speak and expound the living word of God because they don't know the author and the author is not in the well it takes the Holy Spirit of God I think of reading the biography of Spurgeon and if you remember Spurgeon was out on the town one night a young college lad a theology student and he knew more about the Lord Jesus Christ than the man in the gutter he had already had a few drinks and he was to meet his friends his college friends and they were going to have a whooping time over in the pub there in Britain and it was pouring out and his buddy didn't make it and he was running down the street and his cloak soaking wet and he saw a little door open and he bolted in the door and the preacher that night didn't show up it was a little storefront gathering of God's people and so the brethren said to a brother you're the most capable preach the word he was a cobbler by his own profession couldn't even handle the king's English now I am not expounding that we should have people on the platform that cannot speak reasonably well but God uses for me well and that night with that dear brother of God a shoemaker and it may be the only story of a one for Christ he won Charles Hayden's Purge of the Lord Jesus Christ and look what has transpired down through the years why how could he do that he couldn't do it because of eloquence he couldn't do it because of profound surroundings it was done by the Holy Spirit of God using the vessel not the vessel but because the Spirit of God used the vessel and beloved it doesn't matter how eloquent we are it doesn't matter how capable we are it doesn't matter how knowledgeable we are if the Holy Spirit of God is not in it it will fall on the floor yes but the Holy Spirit of God is the all powerful mighty God and he works miracles in life in salvation in propounding the word of God and I might say along this we do thank God for such capable men as those that know the original languages and those that can bring out and expound the deep truth of the word of God I have to depend on them I'm not a Hebrew scholar I must depend on those men and thank God for them oh thank God for them make use of them beloved the Spirit of God then is the one that presents not just facts but he presents the truth of those facts to the mind let this mind be you which was also in Christ Jesus and as we were had read to us last night in Romans 12 1 and 2 to present your body as a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your intelligent and reasonable service but how are you to do that do not conform to this world of being you transform by what the renewing of your mind God's given us a mind that you might know what is that good and acceptable and perfect will but we've got to present our mind it says the Holy Spirit will call all things to remembrance but how is he to recall something to remembrance that's never been put in we have to put it in and then the Holy Spirit of God in his marvelous grace will come out and he'll apply it and that's the only way we're going to run the race that's the only way we're going to accomplish that which the Lord has set forth to do whether it be a housemaker a homemaker in the office on the platform on the street corner and let's mention there those things are not the street corner as our brother said last night that's where I got my beginning too in Cambridge, Massachusetts down at the foot of the stairs where we gathered up in an upper room there or there's a room and downstairs by the door was an ale house but you know there were men and women saved in front of that ale house as week after week the gospel was preached is it a favorite place to be? it's hard to get that street corner now we can't get it in Miami they won't give it to you the door's closed but oh to preach against sexual illicit and crime and we're better than the street of dying and dead in sin what a privilege and when we do it it's not the surroundings but it's the mighty word of God propelled by the mighty spirit of God into the prepared heart by the spirit of God it brings a result for the glory of God for now and eternity but beloved we are only going to know as we yield ourselves and what? my sheep hear my voice and they know my voice and they follow me how does he speak to us? through his word through his word do we hear his voice? do we know the shepherd? all he had to say was Mary Mary! he didn't get along hold on he looked at her he said Mary and she knew the shepherd's voice master do we have the master? is the lord the shepherd needs the sheep the sheep follow the shepherd very quickly and I've got to get done here which we need now David here speaks as he said as the sheep not the shepherd the shepherd came he puts himself in the place of the sheep now the portion of the life of a sheep depends totally on the shepherd and we'll try to get into that in a future session you know there are millions and millions of stars and we're all aware of them and we have radio telescopes today that can see little teeny dots on Mars but you know if and out beyond that there are stars so much bigger than the stars in our little teeny source but if we took they tell us if we took the best radio telescope we've got and we put it on the nearest star out there we couldn't even see our little earth and yet on some other world that he could that he might be the shepherd loves his sheep does it not awaken our hearts and appreciation of the absolute grace of God not only to call us to be brought by the Father given to the Son and the Son says I'll present it to the Father completely myself but he says I send you forth as sheep among wolves he says throw me into all the world and gossip the gospel what a commission talk about a commission admiral who's an admiral five-star general who's a five-star general president who's a president beloved we're the call to God we're the call to God to go out and expound the glories and the grace and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ again the Lord is my shepherd he goes before us he doesn't send us out by ourselves he goes before us all the way just recently down in Miami the one of the professors over at the School of Biology Marine Biology at the University of Miami discovered that in a spoonful of sand on the beaches of Florida there are thousands and thousands of littles on the beaches of Florida in one spoonful of sand now if our God is so concerned about this little globe of ours that he put these little animals these little insects or whatever I've got to be careful my hands are moldy but they're living things in a spoonful of sand on the ocean shore